Topo MCP server

For programs that call HTTP directly, see the Topo API page.

Connect an AI assistant to the terrain and outdoor data behind Topo mode on the PublicGIS map: elevation, slope, profiles, place names, weather, snow, water, fires, public land, geology, sun and moon. Free for everyone, no account needed.

Server address

https://www.publicgis.com/topo/mcp

Streamable HTTP, read-only tools, no sessions kept on the server. Coordinates are WGS84 decimal degrees, and every elevation and distance is in meters.

Connect

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http publicgis-topo https://www.publicgis.com/topo/mcp

With a key:

claude mcp add --transport http publicgis-topo https://www.publicgis.com/topo/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer pgt_..."

Claude desktop and claude.ai

Settings, Connectors, Add custom connector. Name it PublicGIS Topo and paste https://www.publicgis.com/topo/mcp. It connects without a key.

VS Code

In .vscode/mcp.json:

{"servers":{"publicgis-topo":{"type":"http","url":"https://www.publicgis.com/topo/mcp"}}}

Cursor

In ~/.cursor/mcp.json, or .cursor/mcp.json in a project:

{"mcpServers":{"publicgis-topo":{"url":"https://www.publicgis.com/topo/mcp"}}}

Other clients

Any client that supports Streamable HTTP takes the address above. To send a key, add the header Authorization: Bearer pgt_... (or X-API-Key: pgt_...), for example "headers":{"Authorization":"Bearer pgt_..."} next to url. A client that only runs local servers can bridge with npx mcp-remote https://www.publicgis.com/topo/mcp.

Key

No key is needed. A free key raises the limits; create one on the Topo API page. The same pgt_ keys work for the API and the MCP server.

Tools

Every tool only reads, and each call costs the credits shown.

• get_elevation: Elevation at points ◦ 1 credit per 100 points
• get_terrain: Terrain at a point ◦ 2 credits
• get_elevation_profile: Elevation profile of a path ◦ 3 credits
• get_area_terrain: Terrain statistics for an area ◦ 5 credits
• describe_place: Describe a place ◦ 3 credits
• search_places: Search places ◦ 2 credits
• find_named_features: Named features near a point ◦ 1 credit
• get_weather: Weather forecast and alerts ◦ 2 credits
• get_snow: Snow depth nearby ◦ 2 credits
• get_water: Streamflow and tides ◦ 2 credits
• get_fires_and_smoke: Wildfires, smoke and air quality ◦ 2 credits
• get_land: Land, access and rules ◦ 3 credits
• get_geology: Geology ◦ 1 credit
• find_topo_maps: Topographic maps ◦ 2 credits
• get_sun_and_moon: Sun and moon ◦ 1 credit
• get_grid_reference: Coordinates, grid references and compass ◦ 1 credit
• get_location_report: Everything at a point ◦ 15 credits

Each answer carries structuredContent with data, sources and request_id, like the API, and a short text summary.

Limits

The MCP server and the Topo API share one quota. Free, no key: 30 requests a minute and 1,000 credits a day per address. Free key: 120 a minute and 10,000 credits a day. Daily credits reset at midnight UTC. Over a limit, a tool answers with an error that says how many seconds to wait.

Terms

The Topo API terms cover the MCP server too: free to use, including in commercial projects, within the limits; credit the sources listed in each answer; do not copy the data in bulk. Every value is an estimate from public data, not a survey or a flood, avalanche, airspace or engineering determination; check conditions on the ground before you rely on it.

Open the map in Topo mode ◦ Topo API ◦ Topo MCP ◦ Parcel API ◦ Parcel MCP ◦ Terms ◦ Privacy ◦ llms.txt